Source: Martin Novak / Getty
Breaking up with your significant other can be a heartbreaking experience. Our partners become so entrenched in our thoughts, habits and routines that untying yourself from those bonds can be painful work.
It’s already hard enough to get over your ex, but the healing process is even more exasperated when you have to see the person you love continue to live their best lives on social media.
Being exposed to those images can keep the wound fresh.
“Getting over a breakup is a painful experience,” Dr. Gary Brown, a prominent couples therapist in Los Angeles told Elite Daily.
“The only thing that following your ex will do is to add to and prolong your pain.”
It can be kind of awkward to actually hit the “unfollow” button–especially if you and your ex have tried to “remain friends” in the break. Some people might even try to argue that it’s “immature” to not follow your ex anymore. But at the end of the day, it’s not about how the action is perceived, it’s about how you feel. No one else is living with the triggers of seeing your ex but you–so it’s totally valid to protect your mental and visual space.
“The more you see your ex, the longer it is going to take to move on with your life,” Dr. Brown said. “While it may hurt not to see your ex or anything they post, unfollowing them will lessen your pain in the long run.”
“Out of sight, out of mind” really can help you move on. We often force ourselves to consume everything on social media, but it really is totally healthy to remove anything that brings you unhappiness from your line of sight. And who knows, further down the line when you are ok, you may just follow them back.
